Sunday, 8 August 2010

Black and blue streusel cake

Why black and blue?Because it contains blackberries and blueberries, of course!This cake has it all: fruit, sponge, crunch, squidge and spice – be very wary of someone who’d refuse a second slice!

The blackberries seem to like the hot, parched summer we’ve been having in the South East corner of England but I didn’t want to risk relying on them just yet, and ended up buying mine.I should’ve been more of a gambler because there were plenty of ripe berries for the picking.

You don’t need me to point out that this isn’t the most perfectly beautiful cake you’ve ever seen; some of the batter fought its way up during cooking giving a splodgy crust around the edge – pretty it ain’t, delicious it is. Mr CC commented that he wished the whole cake could be made of the crusty sponge around the edge proving that one person’s baking disaster is another’s delight!

This cake looks particularly attractive when cut; the fruit burrows a little into the sponge and is topped with a crunchy, nutty streusel.Because of the batter eruption at the edges, the fruit pooled a bit in the middle – again, it doesn’t help the look much but tasted lovely.

The flavour combination of the black and blue berries worked very well and was a nice mix of tart and sweet.I admit I was crestfallen when I took the cake from the oven and saw the batter balling up at the edges and the fruit sinking in the middle.It’s funny how we beat ourselves up because we all agreed this was one of the nicest cakes we’d eaten in ages – no one could resist picking the sponge from the edge!

17 comments:

Now if you hadn't said this was disaster, I'd never have know. I thought it was meant to be a cake with a beautiful purple well in the middle. I think it looks wonderful, I love the colour combination and with the crunchy strudel topping it must have been a true delight.

It looks great, and the sponge round the edges looks lovely and light - a good contast to the juicy, crunchy middle I guess! And anyway, not everything has to be perfect otherwise you wouldn't get the same thrill when something does turn out exactly how you wanted it, if you follow my meaning!

Oh deary me, I seem to have stumbled on a very yummy and tempting blog.I feel some larger waistbands coming on, lol.Who cares if I can't eat dairy - I'll adapt with alternatives. Yipee!Thanks for the lovely recipesJo:-)

Read this great novel!

Look at this great website

Follow my ambitious attempt to find a recipe for a cake, biscuit, pie or tart for every single one of the 39 traditional English counties!

The Caked Crusader and Boy Wonder

Cartoon by Cakeyboi

About Me

So, the answer to the question you’re all asking: who am I? Well, a superhero never reveals their identity. I think it’s stated somewhere in the contract when you sign up for superhero-dom. Let’s just call me THE CAKED CRUSADER. By day (and night if I’m being honest) a mild-mannered City professional, but at weekends I become THE CAKED CRUSADER. Tirelessly fighting anti-cake propaganda and cake-related injustices – for SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, ALWAYS NEEDS CAKE (we’ll just skip over the fact that it’s usually me).

Batman’s got the batmobile, batcave etc. Superman does just great what with being able to fly and being really strong. Spiderman’s got that web thing going on. But I have better than them. For I have a credit card and could get one of these:

The purpose of my blog is simple – to spread the word that CAKE IS GOOD.Yes, it is calorific; that is why it tastes so nice.Yes, too much of it is bad for you; that’s what ‘too much’ means.Yes, we’re all told to eat healthily and we know that we should. But ask yourself this – and look very deeply into your soul before answering – when has a cup of tea and a carrot ever cheered you up? However, put that carrot into a cake and happiness will ensue. Quod erat demonstrandum – CAKE IS GOOD.

This site will catalogue cakes I have unleashed unto the world and my thoughts thereon.

By the way, I will never recommend how many portions you should get out of a cake because we’re all different. Plus, it will be very embarrassing when I say it serves 4 and you get 20 portions out of it.

WARNING: Too much time spent on this blog may cause hunger.

Privacy notice

The Caked Crusader blog does not share personal information with third-parties, nor does it store or use information collected about your visit to the site other than to analyse content performance. I am not responsible for the republishing of the blog’s content on other websites or media without my permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice.

Cake Achievement in Film and Television Arts (CAFTA)

Have you seen a cake in a film or tv show that deserves recognition? Has a cupcake upstaged a beefcake?

If so, please let me know and that cake could win a coveted CAFTA award. Email me your suggestions, with a photo of the cake if possible.

About Me

I am a 40-something Chartered Accountant working in the square mile.
My main hobbies at the moment are baking, and setting the world record for the number of cake tins owned by one person.
I spend far too much time watching Spongebob Squarepants and would love to try a Krabby Patty...I know, I know - it's not real.